Episodes

School communities are full of people who have both the ability and desire to lead. Some lead without knowing it. Most lead without the recognition they deserve. Whether you lead in a classroom, department, building, or district, chances are you know how challenging it can be to identify and develop other strong leaders, and to grow the leadership capacity of your organization as a whole. This week’s guest, Dr. Joe Sanfelippo, shares how he made sure leaders around him knew their worth, helped t...

This week’s guest, Britney Wolf, shares her experience with Tourette Syndrome and how she is helping break the stigma of the disorder, providing awareness to educators, and motivating others to provide validation to those who have the disorder. In this episode, we also discuss: Strategies for teachers to use in the classroom The difference between complex and simple tics And her upcoming book One, “Ticcing My Way Through Life”! About Britney Wolf: Britney Wolf has one mission – to create an en...

What is the narrative of each student group represented on your campus? This week’s guest, Charles Williams, shares his experiences as a student and how it inspired him to change the negative portrayals of the disenfranchised populations. In this episode, we also discuss: Assessing Equity in Schools Inside the Principal’s Office And the Counter Narrative Podcast About Charles Williams: Charles Williams has been an educator for more than 15 years serving as a teacher, a mentor/lead teacher, an ...

In this 24th Aspire Mailbag episode, Jeff Gargas, Brad Hughes, and I answer questions on different leadership topics provided by the listeners. Please join us for this episode as we answer questions on giving too much grace, finding our creative outlets, when are you ready to be promoted, and the latest news with the Teach Better Team! Featuring Brad Hughes, Jeff Gargas, and Joshua Stamper Brad Hughes is the host of The Good News, Brad News Podcast. Brad is an elementary school principal in Onta...

Do you see every interaction with students, staff, and parents as a gift? This week’s guest, Livia Chan, shares how every interaction is an opportunity to uplift, inspire, encourage, and support others. In this episode, we also discuss: Belief in Other People Maximizing Opportunities to Inspire Learning And “Impact: The Power of Connected Leadership” About Livia Chan: Livia Chan is Head Teacher and author passionate about community, leading with heart, and daily lifelong learning. She truly be...

Education is a difficult field and many teachers don’t continue after three years in the classroom. This week’s guest, Dr. Frank Rudnesky and Michelle Rispo Hill, share how to help new teachers, support veteran educators, and stay passionate in a long career. In this episode, we also discuss: Creating a Positive School Culture How to Help the Teacher Shortage And Fired Up Teachership About Michelle Rispo Hill: Michele Rispo Hill is a passionate educator who has dedicated a lifetime to the edu...

In reflecting about 2021, my favorite day was when Aspire to Lead launched. I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with the Teach Better Team about the different aspects of this educational leadership resource and where the idea came from. In this Episode, we also discuss: The A.S.P.I.R.E. Model Why I wrote this book and how it will help current and aspiring leaders Funny stories about the writing process https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1953852386/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=93...

Most often, when restorative practices are discussed, it is described as a reactive measure to help students fix the harm that was caused. This week’s guest, Dr. Neil Gupta, shares how the most important steps in restorative practices are proactive practices to create a foundation of love and care. In this episode, we also discuss: Creating Healthy Collaborative teams Mental Health for Staff and Students And Coaching as an Associate with Creative Leadership Solutions Dr. Neil Gupta: Dr. Neil G...

With the launch of The EduCulture Cookbook and Aspire to Lead, The Punk Rock podcasters joins me to share about leadership qualities and school culture. In this Episode, we also discuss: The Reflections Process as a Leader Finding our Identity And the “EduCulture Cookbook” and “Aspire to Lead” EduMatch Holiday Bundle: www.bit.ly/edumatchholiday About Michael Earnshaw: Michael Earnshaw, The Punk Rock Principal, is helping to change the game of education. By implementing a mobile office, Mr. E...

How can an instructional technology coach be utilized on a campus to enhance student achievement and staff development? This week’s guest, Jeff Bradbury, shares his instructional technology instructional roadmap to determine the effectiveness of an instructional coach department and to help with instructional practices. In this episode, we also discuss: Lessons Learned as an Instructional Coach How to Build a Department of Coaches And Ask the Tech Coach Podcast Jeff Bradbury: Jeff Bradbury is ...

In your school or classroom, do your students have an opportunity to solve real life problems in their community? This week’s guest, Chelsea Nicolino, shares how she made a shift in her teaching to allow students to work at their own pace, partner with city leaders, and utilize the Grid Method. In this episode, we also discuss: Assessing student mastery Daily student check-ins And the Teach Better Ambassador Program About Chelsea Nicolino: Chelsea Nicolino is an eighth grade integrated science...

Have you ever asked yourself, have I unlocked the potential that lies within myself? This week’s guest, Maurice F Martin, shares how he overcame the hurdles that had been holding him back from healing, succeeding, and thriving in daily life. In this episode, we also discuss: Reflection and Learning Practices Self Help Strategies And his new book, Save the Day: Learning to Embrace Your Inner Hero About Maurice F Martin: Maurice F. Martin is an American entrepreneur and author. He is a premier i...

Low teacher retention rates in schools negatively impact student achievement for all the students in a school, not just those in a new teacher’s classroom. This week’s guest, Dr. Joseph Jones and Dr. T.J. Vari, give precise strategies for motivating, inspiring, and energizing a staff. In this episode, we also discuss: Leadership Qualities Needed in an Evolving Education Model Teacher Retention Strategies And their book, Candid and Compassionate Feedback: Transforming Everyday Practice in School...

This week’s guest, Trevor Timmerberg, shares how his experience in the military shaped his self discipline and changed his perspective on leadership. As a student who had labels placed on him, Trevor is determined to teach his students that mistakes don’t define who you are as a person. In this episode, we also discuss: Cafeteria as a Temperature Check Restorative Practices built on Relationships And Constructing a Leadership Mission Statement About Trevor Timmerberg: Trevor is a High School A...

It’s time to leave behind practices that don’t best serve all learners and educators, and to prioritize what matters most: relationships, connection, purpose, flexibility, agency, and authentic learning. Education must evolve. Looking to learners will help us see what’s working, what’s challenging, and, ultimately, what’s possible. To ensure that all of those learners thrive, we’ll need to use insight from our own experiences, research from the field, and new tools and approaches to adapt our pr...

After two years of new educational practices, are we trying to get back to normal or a way to get better? This week’s guest, Tom Burton, shares how going back to the way things were is not the best mindset. In his district, during the pandemic, they uncovered many inequitable practices that needed to be addressed and they are determined to find better practices moving forward. In this episode, we also discuss: Creating diverse leadership teams Leading regardless of your title And partnering wit...

Aspire to Lead with Empathy, Creativity, and Passion With the launch of my new book, Aspire to Lead, Evan Robb joins me to share about his author contribution. In this Episode, we also discuss: Activating and Taking Initiative The 10 Pillars of Leadership Delegation for Leadership Development About Evan Robb: Evan Robb is presently Principal of Johnson-Williams Middle School in Berryville, Virginia. He has over twenty years of experience serving as a building level principal. Prior to being a ...

How do you define student engagement in your classroom? This week’s guest, Heather Lyon, shares a common understanding of what engagement looks and sounds like so that anyone can design and gauge instruction using this understanding. More importantly, with this knowledge, educators can make changes to instruction to truly increase student engagement. In this episode, we also discuss: Grading practices that need to be assessed The teacher and resource shortage in education And her books, Engagem...

Aspire Mailbag: New School Year Problems In this 23rd Aspire Mailbag episode, Jeff Gargas and I answer questions on different leadership topics provided by the listeners. Please join us for this episode as we answer questions on how to shift the mindset of educators on social emotional learning, how to lead when there are positions not hired, professional learning days, and the latest news with the Teach Better Team! Featuring Jeff Gargas and Joshua Stamper Follow Jeff Gargas: Twitter: https...

Aspire to Lead with Empathy, Creativity, and Passion With the upcoming launch of my new book, Aspire to Lead, Allyson Apsey joins me to share about her author contribution. In this Episode, we also discuss: Creativity in Leadership 3 tools to use to enhance your creative ideas Confidence in leadership to be innovative About Allyson Apsey: Allyson Apsey has been an educator for more than twenty years; a school leader for sixteen of those years. She is passionate about having a serendipity minds...

EduMatch Celebration for Aspire to Lead On the day my new book, Aspire to Lead, launched, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Mandy Froehlick and Todd Nesloney about the different aspects of this educational leadership resource. Join us as we share some strategies, insights on leadership, and funny stories about the process. In this Episode, we also discuss: The A.S.P.I.R.E. Model Why I wrote this book and how it will help current and aspiring leaders Stories with Todd Nesloney abou...

Aspire to Lead with Empathy, Creativity, and Passion With the launch of my new book, Aspire to Lead, Jill Siler joins me to share about her author contribution on executing as a leader. In this Episode, we also discuss: The top ways we can execute in an interview Examples of what districts are looking for in a candidate Mistakes in the interview process About Jill Siler: Dr. Jill Siler has been serving as the Superintendent of Gunter ISD, a growing school district an hour north of Dallas, si...

In this week’s episode, classroom teacher and edtech expert Jake Miller equips us to overcome the paradox of choice and select the right edtech tools for your classroom so you can start using them tomorrow. Jake offers anecdote-induced stories and explanations that actually make sense for all educators. In addition, we discuss comparisons of tools for formative assessment, student self-assessment, student blogging, audio projects, video creation, student-paced coursework, and lesson delivery, an...

Aspire to Lead with Empathy, Creativity, and Passion With the upcoming launch of my new book, Aspire to Lead, Sarah Thomas joins me to share about her author contribution. In this Episode, we also discuss: Reflection as a Leadership Tool Blogging to gather feedback New projects by EduMatch About Sarah Thomas: I am a Regional Technology Coordinator in Prince Georges County, MD, and Affiliate Faculty at Loyola University. While I am still passionate about best practices, such as flipped/blend...